Last week I reported that there was some whitefish being caught on Flathead Lake. Dick Zimmer from Zimmer Tackle in Pablo, Jim Vashro from Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Region 1, and Chancy Jeshke from Snappys Sports all reported that anglers had been catching whitefish in various spots on the lake. This weekend should give us a an opportunity to see if the whitefish bite this year is for real. That’s because the annual Whitefish Jigfest and Mack Attack will take place on Flathead Lake this Saturday and Sunday August 24th and 25th. The fishing derby is put on by Gene Fincher 406-261-6445 and is based out of the Vista Linda Cactus Cantina in Somers on the north end of the lake. The top five whitefish will take home cash. In the lake trout category prizes will be awarded for the largest lake trout by weight over 36 inches plus they will be awarding the largest 5 lake trout 28 inches and under by weight. You can even win cash by catching the largest northern pike minnow. The fishing contest hours are 8am-2pm both days with a fish-fry following the awards ceremony on Sunday afternoon. Tickets to enter are $25 to enter and maybe purchased at Zimmer Tackle, Snappys Sport Center and Sportsman Ski Haus in Kalispell as well as the Vista Linda or by contacting Gene Fincher.

Bob Hickey and Jason Mundel with the largest Walleye CAUGHT AND RELEASED out of all of the Walleye Circuits this year, at 33 inches! (via montanawalleyesunlimited.net)

In other fishing news a couple of anglers from Kalispell took the Montana Walleye Circuit angler of the year award. “The cream always rises to the top” Co-tournament director Dale Gilbert said describing the performance of Jason Mundel and Bob Hickey. Hickey and Mundel took the honors of Angler of the Year and Team of the Year again for the Montana Walleye Circuit. Angler of the year honors are awarded to the team that has the top cumulative score after fishing all of the Montana Walleye tournaments in the circuit that took place on Canyon Ferry Reservoir, Fresno Reservoir, Tiber Dam, and the Fall Classic on the west end of Fort Peck Reservoir out of Forchette Bay.

If you want to fly fish then try fishing the local rivers in the morning. This time of the year it is a little less crowded but the fishing can still be good. Rock Creek Fisherman’s Merc had this to say about the fishing on Rock Creek. “ The few people that have been up here have been doing pretty well, still mostly with caddis and mayflies. Mornings seem to be the best now, so get out as soon as you can and throw big nymphs until you start to see the small dries flying. A size 16 PMD with a CDC cripple behind has been a particularly lethal combination at dawn and for the next couple hours afterwards. The nymphing is still consistent all day, with small pheasant tails, San Juans, and double bead prince nymphs getting the most action. Black wooly buggers have also been catching on as of late, so there’s an option for you streamer fans out there”.

If you like to fly fish out of a float tube then you might try your luck on Georgetown Lake.